A Fox's Heritage
by CrazyDreamerGirl
Summary: Shippo is thinking about his parents, his real parents. They are not who you thought they were. His father is the one and only Youko Kurama. [A YYH crossover]
1. Chapter 1

**CrazyDreamerGirl:** Hey, it's me again with another strange story. I've had this idea in my head for the longest time. I hope you enjoy!

**Summary: **Shippo is thinking about his parents, his real parents. They are not who you thought they were. (slight yyh crossover, but you don't need to watch it to understand) One-shot, maybe...

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Please don't sue.

**A Fox's Heritage**

The small kit sighed. The half demon, also known as Inuyasha, made Kagome angry once again. No one wants to make her angry. She can be very frightening, especially since Inuyasha is under a curse. Every time the young priestess says "sit" he is forcefully slammed into the ground, eating dirt every single time. Anyway, this time they were arguing about Kagome going home to her time. She does not neccessarily belong in the feudal era. She comes from the future where the medicine and food is much better, well, that was the general feeling in the traveling group. Kagome stomped off, leaving Inuyasha to eat dirt, again. She grabbed her yellow backpack and went to the Bone Eater's Well. That well is a portal between the two very different time periods. Only Kagome and Inuyasha have the ability to travel through time.

"Hirakotsu!"

The small kit sighed again. The demon slayer, Sango, was attacking Miroku, the lecherous monk. _He can't keep his hands off her, _Shippo thought. Then, there was the echo of a slap. Miroku never gives up, even when he just wakes up from being unconscious. Moments later, a very mad and blushing young lady came stomping back. It was Sango. Following her was a young monk with a large bump on his head and the red imprint of a hand on his left cheek. Miroku truly never gives up.

Shippo stood up and walked slowly towards the forest. He had found a small pond near the village and decided to go there. The pond was crystal blue, surrounded by flowers and grass. Lily pads covered almost half the pond.

_Riiiiibit. _

There was a frog as well. It was sitting peacefully on a lily pad. A small fly flew by and in the blink of an eye the frog's tongue extended far from its mouth, grabbed the fly, and swallowed. Shippo sat down near the edge of the pond, cross legged. He looked at his reflection in the water. He saw a pair of turquise eyes looking back. He swiped at the water.

"Mom, Dad, why won't you come for me? I hope you didn't forget," he said sadly.

It had been about two years ago. His father and mother left him at the village with his uncle. He had to pretend he was his real father. His real parents were being chased by many bounty hunters. He was not safe with them. They promised to come back. His mother had cried so much that day. His father was not showing it, but he was crying on the inside. He cried too, but tried to stay brave...

The sound of a cicada snapped him out of his memories of that day. _My father is the greatest thief ever. He's legendary. The legendary Youko Kurama. My mother wasn't neccessarily famous, but to me, she is the most beautiful fox demon ever, _Shippo thought. He stared at the water again. He took a good look at himself. He had his mother's eyes and hair color. He had also inherited her shape shifting ability. He hit the water again. He stood up and made his right hand into a fist.

"I'm going to brave and strong. I'm going to be famous just like you, Dad, and then you and Mom can find me," Shippo announced. He stood there looking up at the sky and listening to the sounds of nature. He turned around and walked back to Kaede's village.

He was standing at the doorway of the hut. Miroku and Sango had calmed down and Inuyasha was not there. He was most likely at the well, waiting. Kilala was taking a nap in the corner and Kaede was making something to eat later on. Before entering the hut, he looked back and said, "I hope you didn't forget." He went inside with a big smile, pretending nothing was wrong like every single time.

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**CrazyDreamerGirl:** I always thought there should be a different side to Shippo other than making Inuyasha angry. This is the first story I've written that is not meant to be comical. I hope you liked it as much as I did making it. I was thinking, if any of you think that this can make a good plot, I can make it into a multichapter story. All you have to do is request it. Please review and no flames please!


	2. Chapter 2

**CrazyDreamerGirl:** I didn't know this story would get so many reviews. I was expecting like two reviews. Anyway, I want to thank sleep all night rock all day, Rei Minamino, Easy-Company-506101, Hirina, Shimoyuki, and jordan ( )

**Disclaimer:** A disclaimer is like the sky. It never goes away and I will never own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha. If I do, I'll tell you and maybe we'll have a party. (Bring chocolate!)

**Note:** _italics_ - thoughts or flashbacks.

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 2**

_Kagome has been gone for an awfully long time, _Shippo thought. But in reality it was only two days. Things like that can happen when someone's parents are out there somewhere. And not knowing if they are alive or dead is even worse. It was two years ago on this day that Shippo was left in that village with his uncle. He tried to seem happy there and eventually was accustomed to calling him "Dad." But, nothing can take the place of a person's real father. A father that cares for them and will do anything to love and protect them. Maybe it was his imagination, but his father was indeed a merciless killer at times, but he had a gentle heart when it came to family, especially when it came to Shippo...

_"Shippo, where are you?" a tall, silver fox demon called out into the crowded forest. "Come on out. I know you're there!" Silence. Youko Kurama entered the forest, his golden eyes scanning everywhere to find his lost son, Shippo. Well, technically, Shippo ran off somewhere and no one knew why. He pushed some low hanging branches out of his face and saw Shippo, sitting on a stump._

_"Shippo," Kurama said sternly. _

_"Hey," Shippo replied nervously._

_"Everyone's been worried sick."_

_"Sorry."_

_"Forget it," he said with a smile, "What did you this time?"_

_"I kinda broke Mom's vase. She kept saying it was expensive." _

_Kurama chuckled. "That's all?"_

_"What do you mean 'that's all?'" _

_"She won't get mad- nevermind, she probably will," he said and saw Shippo's face sadden, "Don't worry, I'll say I did it. She knows how much I hate that thing." Shippo smiled. _

_And so, father and son walked back to their home. Shippo was riding on Kurama. They neared the small mansion they lived. They saw a female fox demon who was very worried. She had light light brown hair with the same color fox ears and tail. She had the same eye color as the young kit. She was wearing a silk, sleeveless dress with embroidered cherry blossoms that went up to her knees. _

_She immediately saw Kurama with Shippo on his shoulder. She ran towards them and hugged Shippo. _

_"I've been worried sick!" she exclaimed. Shippo wriggled out of her grasp after five minutes of having the life squeezed out of him. He ran to the bat demon waiting outside at the door. It was Kuronue. _

_"Hey, cherry," Kurama said to the woman. _

_"I told you to stop calling me that," she said.  
"Right, **Sakura**," he said and put emphasize on her name. _

_"I've been meaning to tell you something," he said and put his arm around her.  
"What?"  
"Well, it's your vase-"_

_"Don't tell me you were the one who broke it?" _

_"Um, yeah," he lied. She gave him a stern look. "You see-"_

_"Don't feed me your excuses. You're gonna put it back together, you know that?"_

_"I had a feeling that was coming," Kurama muttered. She laughed. "What?"  
"Kuronue told me he broke it," replied Sakura with a grin. Kurama shook his head. It was impossible to fool this woman. _

"Shippo, Kagome is back!" Sango called, snapping Shippo back into reality. He turned around and saw the demon slayer at the doorway of the hut. He stood up and followed Sango to the edge of the village. There, they saw an angry Kagome who was currently ignoring Inuyasha. The dog demon was irritated as usual with the young priestess. He probably ruined her stay in her own time, again, and was blaming whatever happened on Kagome. Miroku was trying to calm the two down. If looks could kill, all of them would be dead by now. Kilala was watching them trade insults and then came the one word that Inuyasha dreaded the most: "Sit."

A light surrounded the half demon and in the blink of an eye, he was slammed into the ground. He received the taste of dirt in his mouth. As soon as the spell wore off, he quickly stood up and spat the dirt out. He opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to. He did not want her to say _that _word. Besides, Kagome had already walked over to Sango and Shippo, completely ignoring him.

"Kagome!" Shippo shouted gleefully and jumped into her arms.

"Shippo, I missed you," she replied, hugging the small fox demon.

"Kagome, what did you bring back this time?" asked Miroku.

"Oh, that's right," she said and put Shippo on the ground. She opened her large yellow backpack and rummaged through it. She pulled out a lollipop and Shippo's eyes lit up. He quickly grabbed it and tore the wrapper off. He thanked her before putting it in his mouth. Then, she took out a can of soda and gave it to the monk. He also thanked her and began drinking. Kagome took out a bag of chips and Inuyasha immediately noticed.

"This is not for you, Inuyasha. You made me mad and now you are not getting anything," Kagome said sternly and then offered the chips to Sango, "Here, Sango. I'm sure you'll enjoy this more."  
"Thank you, but I wouldn't feel right taking this away from Inuyasha."  
"Don't worry, I'll give him ramen to make up for it," Kagome whispered. Sango nodded and took the chips. Inuyasha's ears twitched and he smiled.

Shippo walked back to Kaede's hut and sat down on a mat, leaning on the wall. He was licking his lollipop until it was easier to bite off. He sighed. Another day was almost over and still no sign of his parents.

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**CrazyDreamerGirl:** IMPORTANT! READ THIS! Sorry for cutting this chapter so short, but I need you opinion on something before I move on with the story. I want to knowif Shippo's mother should be alive in the story or she should havedied while Shippo was away. I don't care which way it goes. I just need to know what you think and the chapters will hopefully be longer after this. So, please tell me! Dead Mom or alive Mom?


	3. Chapter 3

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **Hey! The votes are in and you will see if Shippo's mother is dead or alive in this chapter... or you can read the reviews I received and count the votes for yourself. Anyway, I want to thank sleep all night rock all day, Easy-Company-506101, kuramasgal, Hirina, Rei Minamino, Shimoyuki, and Neori for reviewing.

**Disclaimer: **-sigh- Don't sue. I own nothing.

**Note: **_italics_ - thoughts or flashbacks.

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 3**

Youko Kurama was currently hiding in a bush. His ears twitched when the wind blew causing a twig to fly into his ear.He took the twig out and rubbed his ear. Youko looked at his fingers."At least I'm not bleeding," the silver fox said to no one in particular.

"A bit conceited aren't we?" a familiar voice commented behind him.

"Shut up, bat, you'll blow my cover."

"What cover? You are hiding in a bush and spying on- what is that, a chicken?" retorted the bat demon.

Youko stepped out from the bush. He shook the leaves out of his hair. "Kuronue, for your information a couple villagers were talking about a strange group of travelers. They mentioned a kit."

The bat demon, now identified as Kuronue, Youko's partner in crime, hung his head. "Do you think it's Shippo?" he asked.

"I hope," Youko paused, "it's the only lead I have." The fox thief turned away from his friend.

"Kurama, stop beating yourself up. Sakura's death was not your fault." There was no response from Youko, so Kuronue continued, "There was nothing any of us could do."

"What about Shippo then?" asked Youko angrily.

"There was no way we could know about those thunder demons. Besides, they're dead now," the bat demon paused for a moment, sighed, and continued, "There was no trace of Shippo, so we should hope for the best and that kit in that strange group better be him or else there will be _hell _to pay."

Youko laughed, "Well what are we waiting for? Let's scare and or kidnap some villagers into telling us where my son is!"

Kuronue shook his head and followed the joyful fox on the path to the village. "Amazing how you can act like a complete idiot sometimes."

"Takes one to know one," replied Youko and sped off toward the village before Kuronue even had a chance to grasp the handle of his sickle.

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Night had fallen already. The stars shone brightly in the night sky. There was a rustle in the trees and a flash of silver. A big, silver fox jumped down from the trees and landed next to a bat demon. The bat demon held down his hat. (The wind was blowing quite strongly tonight.) The fox edged forward, hiding itself behind a tree. The bat demon raised an eye brow.

"A bit cautious are we?" the bat said. It was Kuronue.

The silver fox transformed into the famous thief known as Youko Kurama. "At least you're holding onto your hat, unlike last time," said Youko.

"Oh, please Mr. High and Mighty, it seems like you've forgotten about that little incident with the cat."

Youko narrowed his eyes and glared at his best friend.

"So," said Kuronue, changing the subject, "who are we kidnapping because scaring them sure didn't work."

_When the thieves attempted to approach a villager, well, said villager gulped and ran away, screaming like a little girl. The other villagers after him we just as bad, although there was a little girl that threw a knife at Youko. The knife only grazed his cheek and the girl ran away after seeing the look the fox was giving her. _

_While this was happening, Kuronue was stiffling his laughter. Imagine that, a little girl managed to do something that hundreds of demon died trying. Youko shifted his glare back to him. Kuronue mouthed "what?" The fox merely rolled his eyes. _

Youko peered down into a little clearing from behind the tree. The same girl that threw the knife was down there. She seemed to be taking a stroll. He motioned Kuronue over. The bat demon saw the girl as well.

"We're gonna kidnap her?" asked Kuronue in disbelief.

"Shut up and listen to what she's saying," hissed Youko.

The girl sat down on the ground. She looked up and saw a shooting star. "I wish Shippo would come for a visit."

"To answer your question, Kuronue, yes, we're going to kidnap her, but hopefully not for very long," Youko said, stepping away from his hiding place, "I'd rather not stoop to kidnapping little girls, but I guess I have to now."

Several minutes later, which involved a lot of struggling, Youko and Kuronue succeeded in kidnapping her. Youko bent down to be at eye level with the girl wrapped in vines. He put his hand on her head and smiled. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you," said Youko, "we just want some answers."

The girl gulped. "About what?"

"Just some things. Like, what's your name?" asked Kuronue.

"Satsuki."

"Okay, Satsuki, how do you know Shippo?" Youko asked nicely.

"Well, he came to this village and he saved me from a lizard demon and we became friends," she answered.

"Describe how he looks," demanded Youko.

"Um, he had light brown hair, was shorter than me, turquise eyes, and, oh, he could shapeshift."

"Do you know where he is?" the bat demon asked.

"No."

"Was he traveling in a strange group?" asked Youko.

"Yeah, a monk, a half demon, a demon slayer, a cat demon, and this girl that seemed to be able to sense sacred jewel shards. They were really nice."

Youko stood up and said, "You're free to go. And don't you dare mention this to anyone, or else." The girl nodded and ran away.

"I heard about a group that was after the Shikon Jewel," said Kuronue absentmindedly.

Youko thought for a moment and finally said, "Let's get a jewel shard."

The bat demon looked at him. "I thought you were against stealing the jewel."

"I'm not doing it for power, you moron! If they are looking for the jewel, that means they will come to us," explained the fox demon.

"Oh, I get it."

Youko put his hand to his forehead and shook his head.

They heard a rustle in the bushes. The ever alert Youko began darting his eyes around, trying to find the source. Kuronue had his sickle out already. Youko reached into his silver hair for his rose.

"I can't believe two legendary thieves could stoop down to kidnapping a little girl," a feminine voice said.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

The gang was traveling to another village in hopes of finding Naraku. Inuyasha was leading the way as usual. Kagome was riding on her bicycle with Shippo in the basket. Sango and Miroku were walking with Kilala on the demon slayer's shoulder.

It was night and Inuyasha was absolutely refusing to stop until they reached a village. He claimed that there was one nearby. The only thing stopping Kagome from saying the magic word was the reassurance from the dog demon that the village really was nearby, and well, Miroku did agree with Inuyasha.

Inuyasha jumped onto a tree branch and scanned the countryside. He spotted a village not far from where they were currently.

"The village is just a bit farther," he said.  
"You said that an hour ago, Inuyasha," complained Shippo.

"Can it, twerp."

"Inuyasha," scolded Kagome.

"Fine, _sorry_ Shippo," grumbled Inuyasha.

"We're all tired, let's just hurry and find an inn," said Miroku. He was trying to stop a coming arguement. And thankfully, it worked.

They entered the village and with no surprise it seemed a bit empty. After all, it was night; people need sleep.

"Doesn't this village seem familiar?" asked Sango.

"This was the village with the girl that had the fake jewel shard," said Kagome.

"Good, we know people here. There is no need for an exorcism," commented Miroku.

"Don't you mean _fake _exorcism?" Inuyasha asked angrily.

"Fake? My good... half demon, my exorcisms are never fake."

Inuyasha snorted. Sango rolled her eyes and Kagome and Shippo sweat dropped.

Inuyasha's ears twitched. He heard the sound of a person running. He turned around and saw a girl coming towards them. Shippo immediately recognized her as Satsuki.

"Hey, look, it's your girlfriend, Shippo," Inuyasha said.

"Shut up," the small kit replied.

The girl stopped in front of them. "Is something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," Kagome said worriedly.

"Nothing, nothing is wrong- hi, Shippo," she said. Shippo waved back.

"Satsuki, do you mind if we can get a place to sleep tonight?" asked Miroku. Sango hit him upside the head. "Ow." He rubbed the spot where he was hit.

Satsuki giggled at their antics. _Should I tell them? _she thought. _No, the demon did say 'or else.'_

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The two thieves turned around and saw a priestess. She was aiming an arrow at them.

"Come to purify us, priestess," said Youko coolly.

"On the contrary, I came here to help the girl, but apparently, you really weren't going to hurt her."

"I may be a thief and a demon, but I do keep my word," replied Youko.

"Aren't you Kikyo?" asked Kuronue.

The priestess narrowed her eyes. "How do you know?"

Youko realized what Kuronue was getting at. "As you said yourself, we're legendary, we know things."

"Right, and you're supposed to be dead," added the bat thief.

"Unforeseen circumstances brought me back."

"Wait, you can sense the jewel shards, can't you?" smirked Youko.

"Why do you want to know?" asked Kikyo.

"Well, we need a shard, and fast," said Kuronue, circling around her. "You can help."

Kikyo lowered her weapons. "What do I get in return?"

"What do you want?" asked Youko.

"Naraku."

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**CrazyDreamerGirl: **First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and a belated Merry Christmas or a Happy Holidays! Which ever works for you.

So sorry for not updating earlier. There are a lot of things going on in my life right now and I didn't have the time to update. And to explain a few things, I'm not making Kikyo evil in this story just because she's making a deal a with a couple of demons. And the girl that was kidnapped really did meet Shippo. It was the episode where she had a fake jewel shard.

Oh, and have any of you ever noticed that there seems to be endless new villages in Inuyasha? They never go back to same village, unless it's Kaede's village. Anyway, please review, no flames please, and please, please feel free to give me any ideas. Bye!


	4. Chapter 4

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **I'm so glad people still like this story! I wanna thank the following for reviewing: sleep all night rock all day, Hirina, sexyinupunk, The Grand Dungeon Master, sesshy-kun's gal, Rei Minamino, and Bloodcherry.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own it. I never will own it. Don't make me feel even worse than I already do.

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 4  
**

"Have you ever heard of this Naraku demon?" asked Youko.

"Nope. Why do you ask? He's probably no match against us anyway."

"True."

"Although, the way the priestess described him, it made it seem like he's impossible to find," added Kuronue.

"But that's where the fun lies. It's a thief's job to find a secret stash of valuables, or in this case, a demon."

Kuronue said nothing, but then his stomach growled. Youko gave him a look. "What?" the bat demon said, "You didn't let me steal any food from the village." The fox just shook his head. After their meeting with the priestess called Kikyo, they quickly departed from the village. They had this sinking feeling that the girl would blab and they wanted to be as far away as possible when that happened.

They were currently hiding out somewhere in the forests that surrounded a mountain. They were looking for Naraku, but, they did have a back up plan, like any good thief. If this Naraku could not be found, then they would just go about the old fashioned way and defeated any demon they found until they found a shard. Although, this may not be the best idea, it was the only one they thought of in a very short amount of time.

Currently, Youko Kurama and Kuronue were hiding behind bushes and trees, waiting for a victim. . .

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

Inuyasha and the others had bid good bye to Satsuki and left the village quite some time ago. They had no idea where they were heading, but they knew that eventually Naraku would come to them. It was only a matter of time until he decided to kill them himself and not use his minions to do it for him.

Everyone was doing their own little thing. Inuyasha had his fixed on the horizon as if Naraku was there. Kagome was riding her bicycle, letting the gentle wind blow her hair. Sango was trying as much as possible to get away from Miroku's cursed hand. (And no, he did not have his Wind Tunnel out.)

But, little Shippo was trailing behind the group as they walked. He felt strange. It was as if he missed something by just barely. He looked at his surroundings and sniffed the air. He sighed. _All I smell are the plants. That doesn't help much. Dad smelled like plants too, _he thought. Maybe, just maybe, today would be the day that he showed up. Him and Mom. But, what poor Shippo didn't realize was that his mother, Sakura, had died.

"Shippo, hurry up! You're falling behind!" Kagome called from the very front.

The kit looked up and saw that he really did fall behind. He quickly ran to catch up with the others. He was running with a big grin on his face towards his friends, his current family. . .

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A man was walking in a hallway. The air had a mysterious aura. It was almost like posion. There were bones littered on the floor. Several skulls and bones crunched underneath the man's feat. The man slid open a door and walked in. He sat down in the middle. He lowered his baboon mask and looked at the clay doll in front of him. It had a strand of hair wrapped around it. He brought his hand to his chin and smirked. He was hoping that today would be the day that the pesky half demon and his human friends would be killed. They would not stand a chance with the plan he concocted this time.

"Ah, Kagura, please do come in," the man said coolly.

The woman that was hiding behind the door was shocked, but did not show it. She walked in. She had black hair with red eyes. She was carrying a fan that covered her mouth and was wearing a kimono with an elaborate design.

"Yes, Naraku," she replied.

"I want you to keep an eye on the demon puppet, and give Inuyasha and the rest of those fools a _surprise _attack," said Naraku.

"Of course."

Kagura bowed her head slightly before leaving the room. She slid the door closed behind and leaned on it for a moment. She thought, as she sighed, _One day, Naraku. One day I will be free of you. . . _

She entered the courtyard and took out a feather from her hair. The demon puppet emerged from the shadows and waited for her to change that small feather into a very large one that would carry them to the spot where they would face Inuyasha.

Inside the room, Naraku was staring out a window, looking at the horizon. "Soon, very soon, you will die Inuyasha. A very painful and slow death." He chuckled.An evil twinkle could be seen in his eyes. "Everyone will die, and soon I will get what I waited for all these years: the Shikon Jewel." He laughed.

He regained his composore and resumed his staring. His gaze was so intense that one could safely assume that Inuyasha was right outside. He thought, _Oh, how I loathe the half breed. _He chuckled._ I am a half breed as well. At least, one of **my **parents wasn't human. That's just embarrassing.How can I get rid of him?What about the girl that looks exactly like Kikyo? Inuyasha seems to be fond of her. I can use her as bait. _He was clenching his fist during his thought very tightly that his nails dug into his skin causing him to bleed. He looked at his palm and saw the blood, but he didn't care.

All he wanted was the death of all his enemies. _The first to go would be Inuyasha, _he thought,_ then the Kikyo look alike, then that monk and demonslayer. If my current plan doesn't work, then I'll have to have to think of something eles. _An evil smile appeared on his face. _Now, only Sesshomaru and Kikyo are left. Sesshomaru is too smart to fall into my traps. I can kidnap the girl that's always around him. He'll come then. _He was decided his options and thought that would be the best way to go and nodded his in approval. _But, I would like to absorb Sesshomaru. Make myself stronger. Now, only Kikyo is left. I'll need to find a way to get rid of the human inside of me before I can kill her. _Narkau drummed his fingers on the windowsill, thinking.

He chuckled. "I'm brilliant."

And those were the evil thoughts of a maniacal half demon.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

Youko Kurama and Kuronue were still waiting for a demon with a shard. So far, they had killed about twenty or so demons and each one had no shard. Also, each one was weaker than the last, which really ticked them off. But that wasn't the only thing wrong with the demons. They also had a problem with their big mouths.

_"Which demon is this?" sighed Youko._

_"Dunno, I think it's number seventeen though," answered Kuronue blandly. The bat demon was a little too preoccupied with a leaf. He was definitely bored, and a bored demon thief is not a very good thing. _

_The demon in question was green skinned and had three horns. It looked like it was currently developing a hunchback. It grinned at the silver fox, revealing his dull and yellow fangs, which just made Youko grimace at the demon's horrible hygiene. (Kuronue was chuckling in the background at his friend's reaction.) _

_Youko sighed again and asked the demon, for what seemed like the hundredth time today, "Do you have a sacred jewel shard?"_

_No answer. _

_"Fine, be that way," said Youko in an irritated sort of voice, "I try being nice and see where that gets me."_

_He took out a red rose from his hair. He brought it up to his face and smelled it. And right before he had a chance to use his rose whip, the demon opened his mouth and began sucking in air. Youko stood his ground and the leaves, twigs, and small rocks in that small area were being sucked into the demon's mouth. (Yes, even Kuronue's poor leaf suffered that fate.) Youko sighed and put away his rose before that too was sucked in. He then took out a seed from his hair. He flicked it at the demon's big mouth and waited. _

_After a moment or two, the demon hiccupped and closed his mouth. There was a strangle grumbling in his stomach and suddenly, he exploded. _

_"Kuronue, get your lazy ass over here and help me look for a shard." _

_"You know you didn't have to blow him up," complained Kuronue, wiping specks of blood off his face. The fox demon just rolled his eyes. _

_After a few minutes of just staring at blood and Kuronue moving body parts out of the way with his sickle, they found out that this demon had no shard. They heard a rustle in the bushes and it was another demon. "Here we go again," said Kuronue. _

After they defeated yet another demon, they decided to move out of the area and go somewhere else because, quite frankly, there was just too many severed body parts and blood where they were currently.

Youko suddenly stopped walking. Kuronue kept going and said, "Oh, you get to rest, but I can't eat!"

"Shut up, and look at the sky," ordered Youko.

Kuronue muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like "stupid fox," but he listened anyway. There was a giant feather flying above their heads. "Can feathers do that?" asked the bat demon.

"Apparently, that one can," answered Youko, "Let's go check it out."

The feather landed in a clearing. A demon in a baboon outfit stepped out, followed by a demoness. The demon puppet walked towards the abandoned shrine that was hidden by the trees, but the demoness didn't move from her spot. She began looking around. She had sensed something and didn't like the looks of it.

"I think she knows we're here," Kuronue whispered over Youko's shoulder. The fox demon turned his head and put his hand to his friend's face and shoved him away.

"That wasn't nice," muttered the bat.

"I'll show you nice," Youko whispered menacingly and stuck out his middle finger at him. Kuronue glared back at him.

"Um, Youko."

"What now, Kuronue?" asked Youko through gritted teeth.

The bat demon pointed towards the demoness. Youko turned around and saw an attack coming their way. The fox's golden eyes widened.

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Kagura had just gotten off her feather. She saw Naraku's puppet walk towards the old shrine. But, something was nagging at her at the back of her head. She swore she saw something while flying here. It was a silver blur and a black one as well. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew for a fact it wasn't Inuyasha or his little friends. The dog demon always wore red which really stands out in the greenery and she did not see red.

She bit the edge of her thumb and her eyes began darting around the area, looking for spies. _Thump. _She heard something. She turned around and saw something silver and something black; it was her spies. She brought her fan up and used her Dance of Blades. It was as if it was in slow motion. It reached its target and hit. A giant dust cloud rose up into the sky. _Bulls eye, _she thought.

She turned around to walk into the shrine while saying, "Hmph, take that."

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**CrazyDreamerGirl: **Sorry to leave it at such a cliff hanger, but I couldn't help myself. (I might have over did the Naraku thing too.) I'm also proud of myself for making this chapter this long when I should have been studying for finals. They should burn. All flames will be used to burn finals. Thank you and have a good day!


	5. Chapter 5

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **I wanna thank the following for reviewing: Shimoyuki, Bloodcherry, Nora Rose Evans, JadeStoneTheYounger, Inari's angel, Hirina.

**Disclaimer: **Why do I even bother. . .

**IMPORTANT! READ: **I would like to point out that this story takes place before Naraku kidnapped Rin. That's why Naraku is considering that option now. And, if any of you read the last chapter on the 19th, then I would like to point out that I uploaded that same chapter again on the 20th. The reason I did that was because I wanted to change the part where Naraku is plotting. I reread it and I thought Naraku was a bit OOC and that's why I changed it. He should be more in character now, but if he isn't, please tell me and I'll gladly change it once again. Thanks!

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 5**

_Bulls eye, she thought. _

_She turned around to walk into the shrine while saying, "Hmph, take that."_

"Take what?" a voice said behind Kagura.

Kagura turned around quickly and saw a bat demon and a silver fox demon. They were the spies. She looked them over and saw that they were unscathed, dusty yes, but not hurt. The fox's hair was a little dirty, so was his clothes. She also noticed the tips of the fox's hair was uneven. _It must have been cut from the attack, _she thought. The bat demon's face was dirty and his hat was askew. His wings were also a bit bent.

She tried to raise her hand that was holding the fan, but couldn't. Try as she might, she just couldn't raise her arm. She looked down and saw green vines were holding her arm down.

"What did you do?" she asked angrily.

"Nothing much, I just planted a seed in the ground where you were standing and transfered my energy into so it could grow in mere seconds and tie you down," the silver fox calmly explained without even caring that the demoness now knew about his powers. Hell, even Kuronue couldn't defeat him, and the bat knew every attack he could use. Then, again, even Youko couldn't defeat Kuronue; they were always at a stale mate.

"Bastard!" she yelled. She looked down and saw that now her legs were trapped as well.

"Now, now, now, a pretty lady like yourself shouldn't be using such foul language," commented Kuronue. Kagura glared at him with ice, cold fury and began struggling to get free. "Ooh, she's a fiesty one," the bat whispered to the fox, but his whisper was a little too loud. A slight tinge of pink spread across Kagura's face and it passed by as quickly as it came. Again, Youko shoved Kuronue away.

"So, what's your name wind sorceress?" asked the fox.

"She will not be telling you anything," a voice said, coming from the shrine. It was the man in the baboon suit.

"Look, it's baboon man," pointed out Kuronue.

"You're an idiot, you realize that," Youko said.

"My name is Naraku, not 'baboon man' as you so blatantly pointed out."

"Look, we don't want to waste our time with a demon puppet," said Youko.

_Yeah, we already wasted a ton of time with those stupid demons, _thought Kuronue.

"How did you know?" asked Kagura.

"We are the two greatest thieves _ever_. We can tell a fake from the original," Kuronue said seriously.

"It's a gift we have," said Youko while taking out his rose. The puppet was charging towards him. Its arms turned into long, brown, and pointy tentacles. Youko narrowed his eyes. He brought his arm down and the puppet stopped in midrun.

Kagura saw the puppet stop, but didn't understand why, until she looked at the fox demon. He was holding a long, green, and thorny whip. But how? Then it dawned on her. He had turned that rose into a whip. She looked at the puppet again. It fell to the ground in pieces. _I never even saw him transform the rose. His powers are unlike any that I've ever seen, _thought Kagura, _Maybe he's powerful enough to destroy Naraku. . . _

Youko turned his whip back into a rose and safely tucked it away in his hair. "So, now will you tell us who you are?"

"My name is Kagura, and will you please call off your plant." She didn't ask, she commanded.

"Suit yourself," the fox shrugged. The vines shrunk back into its seed. Youko picked up the seed and tucked it away for later.

"So, Kagura, I take it you work for Naraku," said Kuronue, trying to make polite conversation. Kagura just continued glaring. "I'll take that as a 'yes.'"

"Kagura, do you think you can take us to him?" asked Youko.

"Why should I? I don't even know you two."

"Well, I am Kuronue, the better looking and the smarter one of the pair. The fox over there is Youko Kurama, call him Youko," explained Kuronue. He turned his head to face the furious glare of Youko Kurama, the not so good looking one and the not so so smart one of the pair. Kuronue laughed nervously while waving his hands in the air defensively. "He can't take a joke," the bat whispered to Kagura.

"Look, we're demons, we want power, and we heard Naraku is the only competition around here, but we don't want to face him. We just want to make a deal with him, if you don't mind that is," Youko calmly lied.

"Why should I trust you?" asked Kagura.

"Well, I have in my possession a very rare plant that can control minds if used correctly. If I really was lying, then I really wouldn't have bothered with that explanation and I would have gone straight to controlling your mind. So, now do you think I'm lying?" Youko calmly lied, again. He really didn't own a mind controlling plant, but just thinking about it made his fur stand on end because of all the possiblilites it could bring. The closest thing he had to mind control was the Death Tree and that only gives hallucinations to its victims.

Kagura looked like she was considering the consequences. _On one hand, they might be telling the truth and if this alliance of theirs goes through, then Naraku could end up even stronger. But, if they are lying, then maybe they want to kill him or steal the shards. They are thieves after all. But maybe I could manipulate them into killing Naraku for me if they don't want him dead. Yes, that should work, _the wind sorceress thought.

"Sure, I'll take you to Naraku," she smiled. The two thieves grinned at each other. Everything was going according to plan. But unbeknownst to Youko and Kuronue, Kagura was planning something of her own: the downfall of Naraku.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. He sniffed the air. "What's wrong, Inuyasha?" asked the monk.

"I smell Naraku."

"Which way?" asked Sango, the demon slayer.

"To the east."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" exclaimed Kagome. She hid her bicycle in the bushes. It was time to ride on Inuyasha's back.

Kilala was engulfed in fire and emerged as a large cat with giant fangs. Sango and Miroku jumped on. Shippo climbed on as well. Inuyasha began leading the way through the forests. They quickly maneuvered through the trees and shrubery.

They soon reached their destination. It was a small clearing. They also spotted an old, run down shrine covered in moss and grass. There was a large, gaping hole where they were. It seemed like there was a fight. But, there was something else. It was in the middle of the clearing. It was something white. Inuyasha jumped down towards it. He grasped the white thing. His eyes widened.

"Guys, its Naraku's baboon outfit."

"What!" the rest shouted.

Sango quickly went to see if Inuyasha was telling the truth with Miroku close behind her. Kagome waited until Kilala transformed into a smaller feline and she went down as well with Shippo and the cat demon.

The outfit was in pieces though. The only thing that was in one piece was the mask. Inuyasha was inspecting the mask and Sango and Miroku were looking at the rest of the torn outfit.

"Is this really Naraku?" asked Shippo.

"No, I don't think so," said Miroku sadly, "It was probably another demon puppet." He sighed. His Wind Tunnel was not gone.

"But who could have defeated it?" asked Kagome.

"That's the question on everyone's mind, Kagome; who beat us here and defeated the puppet?" replied Sango.

A strong wind began blowing. Kagome held down her skirt and hair. There was a tornando coming. It stopped right next to the reincarnated priestess. The wind died down revealing a wolf demon in brown. He had black hair tied in a ponytail and blue eyes. Inuyasha gave a low growl when he saw who it was. It was none other than-

"Kouga! What are you doing here?" asked Kagome, taking her hand away from his.

"Well, I picked up Naraku's scent and rushed...over...here," he slowed down his speech when his eyes landed on the torn outfit.

"Did you do this mutt-face?"

"Why do you wanna know, wolf?"

"Because Naraku was supposed to be mine to kill! Not yours!"

"Feh, you still have a chance. It was a stupid puppet!"

Inuyasha and Kouga were facing off. A person could almost see the angry aura those two were giving off. If the rest of the gang didn't know any better, they would have thought one of them was a fire master.

"Sit!"

Inuyasha's necklace glowed and dragged him face first into the ground. He twitched.

"Look, Kouga, we didn't even kill the demon puppet. Someone beat us to it," Kagome explained, "Do you have any idea who could have done this?"

"No, sorry, Kagome," said Kouga, staring at the costume, "But we now know someone else is also after Naraku's life. Be careful, my sweet. I'll come back for you!" He had one leg off the ground, getting ready to engulf himself in a tornado. He disappeared in a whirlwind of air and went off into the forest once again, almost knocking over his wolf comrades who were trying so hard to catch up to him.

"Inuyasha, can you find the scent?" asked Miroku.

"No, Naraku's scent ends here."

"Not Naraku's, the one that killed his puppet," explained Miroku.

"I'll try." Inuyasha sniffed the air once again. Nothing. He went closer to the old shrine. Sniff. Nothing again. "There's nothing, only Naraku's scent."

"But how's that possible?" asked Kagome.

"Well, I have heard of demons being able to blend in their scent with the surrounding area, making it seem like they were never there," Sango said absentmindedly, "but that's an ability a thief would want to learn, not some demon that already has a barrier to hide him."

"Do you think it's the case this time?" asked the monk.

"Maybe, but it would take a powerful demon to be able to do that. Who knows, this demon might be even more powerful than Naraku," mused Sango.

Shippo opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. _The plants around here seem healthier. That always happened when Dad was in the area... wait, what if it was him? What if he was the one that killed the demon puppet? What if he really was here? And I missed him! _he thought while hitting his head.

"Shippo, are you alright?" asked Kagome.

"Um, yeah, I just thought I felt a spider," the small kit replied nervously.

"Okay, if you say so."

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

The cool wind was blowing in their faces as they flew higher and higher into the sky. They were soon above the highest clouds. Kuronue was thoroughly enjoying himself. Even though he was a bat demon and had wings, he couldn't fly. As hard as he tried, he was never even able to hover off the ground by about a few feet.

"Ack! Kuronue, control your hair! It's getting in my mouth," complained Youko.

"Then don't open your mouth," retorted the bat demon.

Kagura was up front, steering. The only thing she could do was shake her head at the antics of two full grown demons. Soon, they began bickering, and that turned into yelling, and an anime vein appeared on the wind sorceress' head. "Will you two shut up? We're almost there!" she yelled at them.

"Someone needs an attitude adjustment," muttered Kuronue.

"I heard that!" she yelled. _Men!_ she thought angrily.

The skies soon turned dark and forebooding. It was getting harder to breath. "Hang on, we're entering the barrier," said Kagura. Youko and Kuronue grabbed onto the sides of the feather. The giant feather soon touched the barrier. A surge of energy appeared and disappeared. A hold big enough for Kagura to come in was opened. She quickly flew in with her passengers.

There was a giant, purple cloud inside the barrier. The two thieves began coughing slighty. "This is the poison miasma that surrounds the castle...don't worry, its not strong enough to kill demons such as yourselves," said Kagura and added that last part after seeing their worried faces.

She landed in the courtyard and hopped off the feather. Youko and Kuronue did the same. Her feather contracted and landed on the palm of her hand. She put it back in her hair and led the thieves through the dark hallways of the castle.

"Someone needs to redecorate," said Kuronue after seeing the bones littered on the floor and the the holes forming in the walls. The poison miasma wasn't helping much either. Youko kept reaching into his hair, as if he were checking to see if his seeds were still alive.

"Are you alright?" the bat demon asked his friend after seeing his pale face.

"I'll be fine for now, but we better get out of here fast," whispered Youko and he added, after seeing his friend's confused look, "My plants keep taking energy from me to survive in this miasma. I'll be fine for about an hour, but after that, well, I don't even want to think about it."

Kuronue's eyes widened. He knew how many plants Youko kept with him. He also knew that some needed more energy than others, like his Death Tree. Usually, the silver fox is able to keep his plants in check, but they need the energy to survive, and knowing him, he'll make sure they get the energy. His plants are like his children; his weird and bloodthirsty children that is.

"Will you two hurry up!" Kagura called from the front. The two thieves had fallen behind.

As Kuronue was walking, a door slid open revealing a small girl that stared at the bat demon. She was holding a mirror. She was all white, literally. Her hair, skin, and clothes were white. Her eyes were also devoid of any emotion. She stared at Kuronue like she was trying to look into his soul. Kuronue's reflection was on the mirror, and for some unknown reason, it really creeped him out.

"Kagura, who are they?" she asked in a monotonous voice.

"They want to see Naraku," replied Kagura.

The bat demon slowly moved out of the mirror's way. He didn't feel comfortable seeing his reflection in that mirror. As a thief, he had a feeling that it had some hidden ability and he really didn't want to find out... unless he was going to steal it of course.

"He won't like this at all."

"Well, it's a chance we'll have to take," replied Kagura angrily and walked away. Kuronue and Youko quickly followed. Something about that child creeped them out.

"So, who was that?" asked Kuronue curiously.

"My sister," said Kagura, without even turning to look at him.

"Really? You two look nothing alike," replied Kuronue nervously.

Kagura rolled her eyes. She stopped in front of a door; she slid it open. Kuronue got a peak of the room from over her head. Inside it was none other than baboon man, also known as Naraku. He had his mask hanging at the back of his neck. He looked at them with his dark and cold eyes.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" the man asked with a smirk.

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**CrazyDreamerGirl: **I don't have much to say, except, please review! And no flames!


	6. Chapter 6

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **I wanna thank the following people for reviewing: Hirina, Rei Minamino, Bloodcherry, sesshykun's gal, Inari's angel, JadeStoneTheYounger, GaaraSakura Luvers 4Evah

**Disclaimer: **I know, I know, I don't own it, don't sue me.

**Note: **I wanna make this clear, if any of you haven't read my profile. I do not make Yaoi pairings and that's how it's gonna be for this story. There will be other pairings for this story, but no Yaoi.

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 6**

_"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" the man asked with a smirk._

Kuronue gave a quick glance to Youko, he was paler than before. He could feel his energy draining as the minutes passed by. They still had about fifty minutes left. . .

Kagura motioned for them to go in. Youko went in first. Kuronue followed with Kagura close behind. The two thieves sat down Indian style. Naraku gave a look to Kagura that clearly said, "Get out."

Kagura gave a small bow and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"So, you're Naraku," began Kuronue, "Am I right?"

"Yes, and what business do you have here?" asked Naraku.

"Well, we have a proposition for you," said Youko.

"And what might that be?"

"You are in possession of most of the sacred jewel, am I correct?" asked Kuronue.

"Yes," replied Naraku, "What are you getting at?"

"You seem to be a very powerful demon, and so are we," said Youko, "And as demons, we have a tendancy to- how can I put this nicely? Well, I can't put it nicely. Anyway, demons do have a tendancy to rip each limb from limb to be the most powerful around."

"Right, and we think that method is too messy," added Kuronue.

"Which leads us to the proposition. If we join forces, we can rule this entire land with an iron fist. We'll have no worries of any competition either, because, not only do you have almost the entire jewel, but we are legendary among many demons. They will fear us, and with that fear, will come total loyalty," said Youko with smirk.

Naraku rubbed his chin, as if he was thinking about that idea. "And what pray tell are your names, o legendary demons?"

"I am Youko Kurama and my companion here is Kuronue."

"Ah, yes, I have heard stories of two thieves with those very names. I take it you are they?"

The thieves nodded.

"It is an honor to have two legendary demons, such as yourselves, here, but I do have many enemies and I cannot take the chance to just trust anyone," said Naraku, getting up.

"We understand that," said Kuronue, "We can prove ourselves to you if you like."

"Yes, would you like us to rob a palace? Or maybe eliminate a couple of those enemies?" asked Youko with a smile. It was a strained smile, and luckily Naraku didn't catch that.

Naraku smiled. "I think I'll take you up on that offer to get rid of a certain enemy."

"Just give us a name and place and you won't have to worry about that pesky enemy anymore," said Kuronue.

"Well, his name is Inuyasha. . ." said Naraku as the two thieves put an arm around his shoulder as they plotted.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

"Well, this is where I leave you two. You're going to have to find Inuyasha on your own from here," said Kagura, as Youko and Kuronue jumped off her feather.

"Tell Naraku we'll bring him back the head of a certain dog demon," said Kuronue happily. and waved good bye to the wind sorceress.

"Remember, come back here and use this whistle when you're job is finished. I'll come and get you," said Kagura and threw the whistle to Kuronue, who waved good bye to the wind sorceress.

The bat demon turned to his friend as he pocketed the whistle. "You okay?"

"Yeah, the little trip on the overgrown feather helped me recover some of my energy," Youko said and sniffed the air. "Say, do you have any idea how a half dog demon smells like?"

"Come to think of it no, but he can't be that hard to find. The guy wears all red in a forest. It'll be like looking for a fifty ton boulder in a hay stack."

"Then why haven't we found him yet?" questioned the fox demon, as he completely destroyed the hive in his hand. Everything inside it was destroyed as well. He and Kuronue had decided that they had no use for poisonous insects to help them in their little mission.

"Because. . ." Kuronue looked for an excuse. "By the way, do you think Shippo is with this Inuyasha person?"

"Kuronue, Naraku said, and I quote, _'There are only two full demons in that group; a small cat demon by the name of Kilala and a kit, named Shippo, or was it Hippo?' _You would have to be deaf to miss that."

"Hippo?" asked Kuronue, while Youko was muttering about the various ways to kill Naraku for forgetting his son's name. "Anyway, when did he say that?"

"While you were busy flirting with Kagura."

"I was not flirting! I was merely fishing for more information," replied the bat demon with his arms crossed. Then, he yawned.

"You tired already?" teased Youko.

"I wouldn't be tired if a certain fox didn't keep me awake for two days straight. I'm surprised I can even see straight."

"You're a bat."

"And what does that have to do anything? Bats sleep too, even though we're nocturnal."

"Kuronue, look up and tell me what you see," said Youko.

"Stars."

"And what does that mean?"

"It's night. Crap." Kuronue saw Youko with a triumphant smirk on his face.

Youko began walking away from his friend. Kuronue followed him, sulking. The duo walked endlessly in the forest trying to find any signs of life, except for the occasional stupid demons. They couldn't help but wonder how so many demons became so stupid.

Youko stared up into the night sky. There was no moon. Both him and Kuronue liked moonless nights. It would always be darker and easier to escape any guards during one of their escapades. He noticed billows of smoke rising higher and higher into the cloudless sky.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire," said Kuronue.

"And where there's fire, there's people," concluded Youko.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

"Inuyasha, will you please stop that?" asked Kagome nicely for what seemed like the hundredth time since the sun set.

Inuyasha had been pacing for hours. It was the night of the moonless moon and he had every right to be a bit nervous. Earlier today, there was a sign of Naraku. What if he came and attacked them while he was still human? The others couldn't stand up to him for very long. And what if that demon that killed the puppet came along? Inuyasha could never forgive himself if any of them were hurt, or worse.

Miroku sighed while watching Inuyasha pace. He was sitting by the campfire, waiting for his fish to finish roasting. Sango was sitting next to him, polishing her large boomerang. Miroku's eyes landed on Sango's behind. His hand inched lower and lower, but Sango suddenly stood up and walked away. She laid her weapon against a tree and sat down next to Kagome.

Miroku's eye twitched and he gave an anime fall.

"Miroku, are you alright?" asked Sango.

"Yeah," he said, getting up.

Shippo was quietly laughing to himself in one of the trees behind Miroku. He had seen everything and understood why Miroku fell over. Kilala was in the tree with Shippo as well. The small cat demon nudged Shippo. She used her paw to point to the left of them.

"What is it girl? Is something coming?" asked Shippo.

Miroku suddenly tensed up and so did Sango. Kagome grabbed her bow and arrows.

"Inuyasha, hide, we'll take of it," the young priestess said.

"I'm not hiding like a coward. I'm going to fight," retorted Inuyasha.

"No, you're not!"

Thier voices were getting louder and louder with every comment.

"Will you two be quiet? We want the element of surprise on our side," scolded Sango.

"Lady Kagome, take young Shippo and Kilala and go into the forest. Something powerful is coming our way," said Miroku and then turned to Inuyasha. "You go with them too. Sango and I can take care of everything here."

Inuyasha snorted. "There's no way you can take of it. You said yourself that whatever is coming our way is powerful."

"I can always use my Wind Tunnel, Inuyasha," the monk hissed back.

"What if there are Saimyosho? What are you going to do then?" replied Inuyasha with a cocky attitude.

"I'll cross that bridge when the time comes. Until then, leave."

With one last glare, Inuyasha followed Kagome, Kilala, and Shippo into the forest. Miroku and Sango turned around and got into a fighting stance. They were not going down without a fight.

They saw the leaves before them rustle. Only a couple seconds left until they were either faced with a enemy or a potential ally. The bushes and branches seemed to part one their own as something came forward.

First, a tall fox demon emerged. He was dressed in white and he stared at them with his golden eyes. His silver hair, tail, and ears seemed to glistening with only the fire to illuminate the darkness. He smirked at the humans. He could almost smell their fear.

After the fox demon, a bat demon appeared behind him. He was about the same height as the fox. His hair was black and so was the rest of his clothing. He wore a hat and multiple straps wrapped around both arms. His red necklace reflected the fire. He stretched his wings. Sango and Miroko got a good look at his belt. There was a sickle attached to it.

"What do you want demons?" asked Miroku.

"We came looking for Inuyasha," said the fox demon.

"You'll have to defeat us before you can get to him," said Sango with malice in her voice.

The bat demon sighed. "You do realize it's polite to introduce yourselves before a fight begins."

The fox demon glared at him. "What?" the bat demon asked.

"It's poilte to introduce yourselves before a fight," the fox demon said, mocking the bat.

"Do you have to pick at everything I do!"

Sango and Miroku looked at each other and sweat dropped.

"Forget what my idiotic partner said. Hell, don't even pay attention to him," said the fox. "But if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get." He smirked, revealing his fangs.

Miroku stepped forward and so did Youko. The monk took out some sutras. Youko chuckled quietly. Miroku threw the sutras toward Youko. In the blink of an eye, they lay in pieces on the ground. Miroku looked up and saw the fox demon was brandishing a long, green whip. '

"If you value your life, then you really should give up and tell us where Inuyasha is hiding."

"Never."

Miroku unwrapped the prayer beads around his right arm. They fell to the ground. He brought his hand up a blackhole appeared. It began sucking everything up into a void. Youko quickly wrapped his whip around the trunk of a tree and held on tight.

In all the commotion, Miroku did not notice that the bat demon had escaped the path of his Wind Tunnel.

There was a loud thunk behind the monk and a voice said, "If you don't value your life, then maybe you value the life of this woman."

Miroku turned and saw the bat demon had gotten a hold of Sango. He put his Wind Tunnel away.

"Leave her alone! Your fight is with me!"

"Can't do that," replied the bat as he tightened his grip around the woman. He had his sickle at her neck, ready to slit her throat if necessary.

"But, if you are willing to tell us where Inuyasha is, then we'll leave both of you alone and no harm will befall you two," said the fox demon.

Miroku bit his lip. On one hand, he can't let them reach Inuyasha. He would never be able to stand up against them. But, on the other hand, Miroku could never continue on living if something happened to Sango.

"Don't listen to them," choked out Sango. "Suck us both up in your Wind Tunnel!"

"That's stupid," said a voice, "I'll fight you, but you have to leave them alone."

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**CrazyDreamerGirl: **Evil cliffhanger, I know. In the next chapter, Shippo is finally going to meet his father, Youko Kurama. So, don't miss it! Please review! The more reviews I get, the faster the next chapter will come!


	7. Chapter 7

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **Yay! I got more reviews! I want to thank Inari's angel, Animeotakufreak, sable, Bloodcherry, Rei Minamino, Hirina for reviewing.

**Disclaimer: **Yu Yu Hakusho and Inuyasha don't belong to me,

But, my birthday is coming up, and they would make a great gift, you see.

**Note: **Did you like the poem disclaimer?

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 7**

_"That's stupid," said a voice, "I'll fight you, but you have to leave them alone." _

Youko and Kuronue looked at the direction from which the voice was coming from. A man leapt out of the trees in front of them. He had long black hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in all red and had a sword hanging at his side.

"Are you Inuyasha?" asked the bat demon at once.

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

"I thought he was supposed to have dog ears," the bat demon said, turning to the fox demon.

"He's a half demon, you moron. Which means, he turns into a human once a month," replied the fox and hit his companion upside the head.

"Ow."

Inuyasha sweat dropped. "So, are you going to leave them alone and just fight me?"

"I did say we wouldn't harm those friends of yours if we get to fight you," the fox demon said.

Unbeknownst to Inuyasha, or to Sango and Miroku, Youko had planted some seeds near where the humans were standing. Sango gave a yelp. Both she and Miroku were being wrapped in vines. Their legs were held together tightly and Miroku's right arm was held especially tightly. The vines hiosted them up until they were a couple feet off the ground.

Inuyasha tried to set them free, but more vines shot out of the ground and hit the half demon. Inuyasha recoiled. If only he had his claws. . .

"I thought you said you would leave them alone!" shouted Inuyasha.

"I said we wouldn't harm them. Those vines are there to make sure they don't get involved," replied Youko with a smirk.

"Right, we don't some pesky intrusions in our fight," added Kuronue.

"Make this fight look convincing; your little girlfriend is watching," whispered Youko to Kuronue, slightly moving his head up, which meant that Kagura was in the sky, watching. "I'll give you the signal to stop. You'll know it when you see it."

"She's not my girlfriend- wait, why am I stuck fighting the half breed?" hissed Kuronue.

"Because I smell Shippo in those trees behind the dog. Relax, and follow my lead."

Kuronue rolled his eyes, but he complied. He unhooked his sickle from his belt and tilted so the light from the fire shined off it. He narrowed his eyes at Inuyasha. "I'll be your opponent." His eyes flickered with excitement.

Inuyasha glared back and unsheathed his Tetsusaiga. It wasn't much, but he needed a weapon to stand up against the bat demon's sickle. His sword looked old and beaten up. Kuronue laughed. Youko hit him so he would stop.

"Have fun you two," said Youko and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" asked Inuyasha. Worry was evident in his voice.

"More of your companions are hiding. I'm merely going to look for them," replied the fox demon with a smile.

"Oh, no you don't!" yelled Inuyasha.

He charged towards the fox demon, but he suddenly stopped. Kuronue's sickle was mere inches away from his face. It was stuck in the trunk of a tree. Inuyasha gave a gulp. "Your fight is with me. Leave Youko out of this," Kuronue said menacingly. He gave a tug and his sickle came back into his hand. "And next time, I won't miss."

Kuronue was going to give his friend the chance to reunite with his son without any interruptions, especially from a big mouthed half breed.

Inuyasha gave one last glare at the fox demon, now identified as Youko. Youko gave him a smile and disappeared into the forest. Inuyasha couldn't help but worry for the safety of Kagome, Shippo, and Kilala.

"Bastard!" yelled Inuyasha and charged towards the bat demon.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

As Youko walked away from the battle scene, he saw Kagura fly away. He chuckled to himself. Naraku probably wanted to see if they would keep their end of the bargain. But, they were left with quite the predicament. How were they supposed to prove Inuyasha had been killed?

Youko sighed and continued following the faint energy signal left by his son. He stopped dead in his tracks. How was he supposed to tell Shippo that his mother was dead? He rubbed his temples in frustration. Something would come to him. It always did.

He trudged onwards. He pushed a low hanging branch out of his face. His ears perked up. He heard voices. He walked just a bit further and crouched down, concealing himself behind the plants. Youko saw a young woman with black hair. She was wearing a green and white uniform of some sort. She did not seem normal, and neither did the energy signal he sensed from her. He also spyed a small cat demon resting on her lap.

_Now, I can smell my son, but where is he? I can't see him, _thought Youko.

Then, Youko saw him. The son he was searching for. He was right there, sitting next to the girl and staring off into space. _We used to do that all time. Just stare into the night sky, forgetting about everything, _he thought as he suddenly remembered a time where they did just that.

_"Dad," said Shippo._

_"Yes, son," replied Youko. _

_"Tell me the story about the stars again," said Shippo, not taking his eyes away from the sky._

_"Well," began Youko, placing Shippo in his lap, "It all began when the world was created. Everyone loved the day. It was bright and everything just seenmed to prosper more. But when night fell, it was dark and gloomy. Although, the moon was there to illuminate the night sky, it wasn't there all the time. The people needed something else to give them light. _

_So, they gathered up the world's fireflies and put them in special container. They launched the fireflies into the sky using a catapult. The container that held the fireflies broke into millions of pieces, freeing the small insects. They stayed up in sky and over time, people forgot that there were fireflies thousands of feeet above their heads. They began calling them 'stars.' And so, the night began to be a time of peace and tranquility, and never again it was thought of as a time of evil and sadness."_

_Youko looked down at his son in his lap. Shippo had fallen asleep. "Sweat dreams," said Youko and kissed Shippo on his head. He carried his sleeping child inside and a lone firefly rested on the flower next to where they were sitting. _

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

"Admit defeat. You don't stand a chance against me," said Kuronue as his sickle lunged towards the half demon. Inuyasha just barely made it out of the way.

"Never," panted Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was in bad shape. He had various cuts and bruises from the fight. As a human, he was no where near powerful enough to defend himself against Kuronue, let alone the fox demon that's able to manipulate plants. He looked up at the night sky. It was no where near day break. If this continued, he probably wouldn't survive for another hour.

He was no longer wearing his red top. It was torn off during the fight. His eyes kept darting from the bat demon to Miroku and Sango and to the spot where Youko had left them. His mind was obviously on other things.

"Hey, hey! Are you even paying attention?" shouted Kuronue.

"What?" asked Inuyasha.

Inuyasha finally noticed that Kuronue had given him another cut against his chest.

"Miroku," whispered Sango.

"Yes."

"That bat demon had multiple chances to finish Inuyasha off, and yet, he hasn't done so."

"That's exactly what's bothering me," replied Miroku, "I thought that he meant to kill Inuyasha off, but they must have an ulterior moltive."

"What if they want to kidnap Kagome? I mean that fox demon did go towards them."

"Well, we haven't heard any screams of help yet, so everything must be alright."

"For the time being," said Sango as she managed to grab the handle of her sword. Now all she had to do was free her arm to cut Miroku and herself free from the vines.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

Youko mustered up the courage necessary to finally show himself to his son. He stepped out of his hiding spot. Kilala's hair stood on end and she began hissing at Youko. The cat demon jumped off Kagome's lap and transformed. Kagome turned around and gasped. She reached for her bow and arrows and aimed.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," said Youko and put his hands up in surrender.

Shippo showed his head from behind Kagome's legs once he heard the intruder talk. His eyes widened and the biggest smile ever appeared on the young kit's face. His father was standing right there. _I knew you would come back for me, _thought Shippo. It was like a dream come true for the young kit. He thought he would never see his father again. He was wrong. He had come back.

"Dad?" Shippo asked in disbelief.

"Dad?" repeated Kagome and looked down at Shippo and then to the silver fox demon. She lowered her weapons.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

Kuronue lowered his weapon. His blade was inches away from slashing Inuyasha again on his chest. Sango and Miroku dropped to the ground. The vines that were holding them back had released them, or had been cut to be more exact.

"That must have been the signal," muttered Kuronue.

The bat demon walked towards Inuyasha and offered him his hand after he had knocked the half demon to the ground. Inuyasha glared at his hand like it was the plague. He used his sword as a cane and brought himself up.

Kuronue took his hand back and said, "Sorry 'bout all the wounds. I had to make the fight look convincing."

"Look, convincing? Why?" asked Miroku as he helped Sango up.

"It's complicated you see, but trust me, we never really wanted to hurt you," replied the bat demon.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

Kagome was still in shock. Standing right in front of her was Shippo's father. He was very handsome looking fox demon. He was muscular and his golden eyes were full of love and compassion when he looked at Shippo.

She glanced down at Kilala and saw the cat demon had relaxed and had transformed back into its small feline state.

"Um, could someone please tell me what is going on here?" asked Kagome.

Both fox demons looked at her with a look of confusion. Youko blinked. Then it hit him, the girl was still there. Apparently, Shippo had told his friends nothing about his real family. Youko secretly agreed that was a good thing because he has too many enemies, and if anyone found out about Shippo, well, he shuddered at what might happen. But now, things had quieted down, and it was safe for Shippo to come back.

"I am the great Youko Kurama," Youko said and bowed after Shippo jumped off his shoulder.

"My name is Kagome," said Kagome, a little skeptical. She looked at Shippo. "Shippo, I thought your father was killed by the Thunder Brothers, and had red fur."

"Long story, but I assure you, I am young Shippo's real father."

"Right, um, you wouldn't be the one that killed Naraku's demon puppet, are you?" asked Kagome.

Youko nodded.

Shippo grinned. "I knew it." The young kit looked back and forth between his father and Kagome. The reincarnated priestess looked a little awkward standing there, and was that worry?

Kagome bit her thumb. _Now that Shippo is reunited with his father, does that mean he'll leave us? I hope not. . . Oh, that's selfish of me. I should be happy that Shippo has his father back, _thought Kagome. She looked at Shippo. _I'll miss the little guy. _She looked up and smiled at the of the reunited father and son. Shippo deserved to have his father back, and if it meant that he would leave them, then so be it. Kagome wouldn't do anything to stop Shippo from having a family.

"Is uncle Kuronue here?" asked Shippo, breaking the long and drawn out silence.

"Yes, hopefully he hasn't gotten too carried away and killed Inuyasha, or maimed him, or made him suffer great agony," said Youko, counting them off with his fingers.

Kagome laughed nervously. "Shouldn't you go and stop him then?"

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

When, Kagome, Youko, Shippo, and Kilala entered the campsite, they saw that Kuronu had his hands up in surrender and was facing down an angry demon slayer and monk. The demon slayer was brandishing a larger boomerang and the monk had his hand up, ready to use his Wind Tunnel again.

Youko began laughing. "I leave you alone for a couple minutes, and this is what happens."

Kuronue returned his laughter with a glare. "You gave me the signal."

"What signal?" asked Youko.

"You made your plants stop."

"I never did that."

Kuronue looked at Sango and Miroku and saw the demon slayer nod with a smirk. Sango edged her boomerang towards Kuronue's neck.

"Sango! Miroku! Stop! They're not enemies!" shouted Kagome.

"Not enemies? They tried to kill us!" shouted Inuyasha.

"Hey, you were the one that assumed we wanted to kill you in the first place," retorted Youko.

"Well, if you hadn't noticed, your little friend there actually tried to kill me!" growled Inuyasha, pointing to the bat demon.

Youko finally noticed that wounds Inuyasha had received during the fight. "I thought I told you to make the fight look convincing, not try to kill him, Kuronue."

"It's not my fault he kept moving around, getting in the way of my attacks," complained Kuronue.

Youko clenched his fist. "You're getting on my last nerve, bat."

"Same to you, fox."

"Um, Dad," said Shippo, tugging on Youko's pant leg.

"Dad?" asked Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha in astonishment.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **This was a fast update, wasn't it? I'm so proud of myself. I hope I got Kagome's reaction as realistic as possible.

Oh, and I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I have outlined the rest of the story, so updates will hopefully become more frequent. The bad news is that the story is roughly half way over. Maybe a little more than halfway. I feel so sad now.

More meetings will come in the next chapter when Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha are explained what happened. Remember, the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update!


	8. Chapter 8

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **Yay! I got more reviews! I want to thank Inari's angel, Bloodcherry, in luv with cold hearted guys, sable, Pure Shikon, lone-wolf, NeonAlchemist, JadeStoneTheYounger for reviewing.

**Disclaimer: **Isn't obvious enough that I don't own either of them?

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 8**

_"Dad?" asked Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha in astonishment._

Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha looked at each other and blinked before asking, again, "Dad?"

Kuronue took this chance to move away from their line of fire and walked towards Youko. Shippo immdiately jumped into the bat demon's arms. Kagome was rubbing her temples at the antics of her three friends. They couldn't speak in complete sentences, so the other would finish their sentences. Finally, Sango pulled herself together and hit both Miroku and Inuyasha on the head so they would stop.

Sango stepped forward and said, "Shippo, I thought your father was killed."

"It's a long story and it would be better not to get into the details, but it was all a ruse, and I really am Shippo's father," explained Youko.

"Has anyone ever told you that you two look nothing alike?" asked Miroku, completely ignoring the impossibilty of the situation.

"If I had a jewel for every time I heard that one. . ." said Kuronue.

"But you do," teased Shippo, jumping from Kuronue's shoulder to his father's.

Kagome kept glancing between Shippo, Kuronue, and Youko. She couldn't help but feel that she was going to be forgotten very soon.

"Wait, wait, wait!" shouted Inuyasha.

Everyone turned to face the half demon.

"Do you mean to tell me that I was nearly killed so you could see Shippo again?" asked Inuyasha irritably.

"Yes," replied Youko and Kuronue in unison. They saw no flaw in that logic.

Inuyasha had an anime fall. He quickly got back to his feet. "When I get back into my demon form, you two are gonna pay!"

"You'll never beat my dad!" said Shippo, sticking his tongue at the half demon and pulling his lower eyelid down.

Inuyasha lunged forward to grab the small fox demon to give him another bump on the head, but he grabbed nothing but air. Shippo was resting in his father's arms, blowing a raspberry at Inuyasha. Youko hit Inuyasha on the head instead. Then, Inuyasha began a glare war between himself and the silver fox demon.

Kagome sighed at immaturity of Inuyasha, and surprisingly, Youko as well. The latter seemed to be such a sensible and mature demon, but apparently, he wasn't. Currently, Youko was sticking his own tongue out at Inuyasha. Now she knew where Shippo got it from.

Shippo was enjoying himself thoroughly. Inuyasha was finally going to get his after everything he put the young kit through. He was looking forward to this for the longest time. But then his smile turned into a frown. He began looking around. Kuronue was there, and so was Youko, but where was his mother. Maybe hiding somewhere. No, he could probably smell even if she was hiding somewhere nearby.

Shippo tugged at his father's pant leg. "Where's Mom?"

Youko turned his head to face his son. He smiled nervously. "Mom's waiting for us back home," he lied. _Oh, please let him buy it. I don't want him to find out here with all these people, _he thought desperately.

"Oh, okay," said Shippo with a smile on his face. He sensed his father was not telling him the truth, and he hoped that his father would not see through his fake smile as well.

Kuronue sighed in relief. _That was a close one, _the bat demon thought.

"So, will you be taking Shippo away?" asked Kagome meekly.

Youko scratched his cheek. "Actually, Kuronue and I have a quick errand to run. So, we're going to need you to take of Shippo until we come back."

"Yeah, we'll be back by nightfall," added Kuronue.

"Can't I come with you?" asked Shippo with pleading eyes. 

Youko bent down and placed his hand on Shippo's head. "Sorry, kiddo, but you're going to have stay here." He stood up. "There's a village to the north of here. We'll meet you there."

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

Inuyasha was grumbling very loudly. He didn't like accepting help from two complete strangers. "Ow," he complained. Kagome ignored him. She was busy using the medicinal plants Youko left behind to heal Inuyasha's wounds. He said that the plants would speed up the healing process as soon as they were put on. By nightfall, he would be healed.

Kagome glanced at Shippo. He was sitting at the base of a tree. He seemed troubled. As soon as Kagome was finished bandaging Inuyasha's wounds, she made her way to the young fox demon.

"Is something bothering?" asked Kagome.

Shippo was about to open his mouth and reply, when Inuyasha cut him to it. "Hmph, I would be depressed too if my father that I haven't see in who knows how long came back and left in less than an hour."

"Shut up, Inuyasha!" yelled Shippo.

"Inuyasha," scolded Kagome.

The half demon rolled his eyes. "He obviously has better things to do than spend time with his son." Inuyasha stood up and walked away. "Come on, we're going to that village now."

Shippo glared at Inuyasha's retreating figure. "Shippo, I'm sure none of that is true. Your father is probably doing something that could be very dangerous for you," she said, trying to console the young child.

Shippo didn't meet Kagome's gaze. He stood up and began following Sango and Miroku.

"Thats not true. Your father cares deeply about you. I can see it in his eyes," said Kagome loudly enough for Shippo to hear. 

Shippo didn't reply. He kept walking. Kagome let her shoulders sag, and then, she too, followed the others.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

Naraku chuckled. "So, he's finally dead." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. He smirked as he looked at the bloody, red piece of clothing in front of him. It was a piece of Inuyasha's Fire Rat.

Youko gave Kuronue a look praising his thieving skills. Kuronue had snatched that article of clothing while everyone was preoccupied with Youko and Shippo.

"It's too bad that we couldn't bring his head back, but like I said; Youko and his plants got a little carried away," commented Kuronue casually.

"What about the shards?" asked Naraku.

"We couldn't grab them. The monk used his Wind Tunnel. He sucked up everything, including the insects. During the confusion, they fled," explained Youko.

"Yes, well, you have proven your worth. With Inuyasha out of the picture, it will be much easier to retrieve the shards."

"Well, we need to leave now," said Youko, standing up.

"So soon?" asked Naraku.

"We heard rumors of this palace in the mountains. It's supposed to be loaded with riches," replied Kuronue.

"Once a thief, always a thief, I suppose," said Naraku.

Youko and Kuronue stood out in the courtyard. "What are we going to do about Naraku?" asked the bat demon.

"Leave that to me, for now, let's go see Shippo."

"Where are you two going?" asked Kagura sternly.

"To rob someone, where else?" said Kuronue.

"I heard your conversation with Naraku," started Kagura.

"Didn't anyone teach you that it's rude to eavesdrop," retorted Youko. He was dying to get out of the miasma, literally.

Kagura ignored the fox demon. "As I was saying, I was there during your little encounter with Inuyasha and his friends. Nothing I witnessed matched the account you gave Naraku."

"And why does that matter to you?" asked Youko.

"I want to know why you lied."

"Look, Kagura, we can't tell you, but you have to trust us. Don't tell Naraku, please," said Kuronue seriously.

She glared at the two before making her decision. "I won't tell, but you are going to tell me later."

"Thank you, Kagura. I knew I could trust you," said Kuronue and followed Youko out of the barrier.

"Thank you for that helpful bit of information, Kagura," said Naraku as she stepped out of the shadows.

She turned to face the monster known as Naraku. She glared at him. If only Kanna didn't show Naraku the night's happenings on her mirror, than maybe she wouldn't be forced to betray their trust like that.

Kagura turned to leave, but Naraku stopped her. "I have a little assignment for you. . ."

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

Youko and Kuronue waited until nightfall to meet up with Shippo and the others in the village. The quietly sneaked in the shadows as Youko traced his son's scent to the richest house in the village. They stayed up on the roof until the last servant finally went inside. They dropped down onto the ground and Youko was about to slide open the door when it opened. It was Shippo.

He jumped happily into his father's arms. He led them into an empty room.

"So, Shippo, how did you all end up in a place like this?" asked Kuronue as he admired all the valuables in the room.

"Miroku's actually doing a _real _exorcism," replied the young kit.

Youko chuckled. "So, this happens often?"

"Not the real ones. The fake ones are all the time," said Shippo with a grin.

"That's one smart monk," commented the bat demon as he pocketed a small statue.

Youko rolled his eyes.

"Dad, I want to ask you something."

"What?"

"Where's mom?"

Youko frowned. Kuronue quietly slipped out to give them privacy. The sliver fox sat down and motioned for Shippo to come and sit on his lap like they used to do. Shippo reluctantly did it. He knew something was wrong from his facial expression.

**- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -**

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **I know I said I would update soon, but things came up in real life that interfere, and I really wanted to work on my other story. Sorry. . . Anyway, I got a question about the pelt that Shippo took from the thunder brothers. Well, he has it, but somewhere during the story Shippo, or maybe it was Youko, said that the red fox Shippo was staying with was his uncle. He was still family, so he still has the pelt somewhere. They don't say what happened to it in the episodes so I'm assuming that he hasn't gotten rid of it.


	9. Chapter 9

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 9**

Shippo sat in his father's lap, looking up at him with big, sad eyes. "What's wrong?" asked the young kit.

"Well, you wanted to know where your mother is, right?"

Shippo nodded. Suddenly he didn't want to know at all. Youko was looking extremely sad and depressed. A knot was forming in the pit of Shippo's stomach.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this, but. . ." Youko's eyes darkened. It was hard for him to come to terms with Sakura's death, but now he had to tell their son. This was not going to be easy.

"Did something happen to Mom? Is she alright?"

"No, Shippo, she's not fine."

Shippo hung his little head. What happened to her? He didn't want to know anymore. He shook his head.

"Sakura died."

"No. No! Your lying!"

Shippo started beating Youko's chest with his little hands. The silver fox grabbed his hands and tilted Shippo's chin so he would face him. "Listen to me." Shippo struggled. "I know you don't want to believe me, but you deserve to know. I can't hide this from you for any longer."

Tears were streaming down Shippo's cheeks. "I don't want Mom to be dead."

Youko wiped his tears. "I know, I know. I don't want her dead, either."

"How?" asked Shippo.

"Huh?"

"How did she die?" repeated Shippo.

Youko froze. He was not expecting that. How was he going to tell him that he and Kuronue left her all alone, and then they found her near dead? He was sure that his son would blame him for her death. Hell, he still blames himself for her death. But no, he did not want Shippo to know the gory details.

"When you're older, I'll tell you. You're too young to know how exactly," he replied simply.

"But I want to know! It's not like it's your fault! I deserve to know! She was my mother!" yelled Shippo.

A pang of guilt hit Youko. It was his fault. He should have never left her alone. He should have stayed behind.

"Are you finished with your tantrum?"

Shippo refused to look at him. "Yes."

"Good."

They remained in silent. Shippo refused to accept any comfort from his father. He didn't even look at him. Youko reached out to touch his son's shoulder, but Kuronue came busting in. His face was full of worry.

"We have a problem," the bat demon announced.

Youko stood up. "What is it?"

"Kagura and Kanna are attacking!"

Kagome came in next. _Perfect timing, _thought Youko.

"Kagome, I need you to keep Shippo safe." He turned to the bat demon. "Come on, Kuronue!"

The two thieves ran out, leaving a confused Kagome behind. Her eyes fell on the crying fox demon.

"Shippo, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied.

Kagome scooped him up in her arms. She wiped his tears away. "You know you can tell me anything," she said, soothingly.

"I know." He buried his face into her shirt and cried.

**

* * *

**

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **I am so sorry I haven't been able to update sooner. My teachers thought it would benfit us all if they pile on a whole ton of work, projects, and tests before finals. Now that it's summer, I will try to get the chapters out sooner. No promises. Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth out. (And time for some cheap advertisement! I've been playing around with this strange, not a bad strange, Harry Potter story. I've been writing the first 2 chapters in my spare time. Check it out on my profile.) 

I don't think I did a good job with this chapter. Please tell me what you think. (Sorry I haven't been repling to reviews. There's no time! I will next time!)

I want to thank my very faithful and patient reviewers, especially the ones that reviewed for the last chapter:

sleep all night rock all day

Bloodcherry

sable

FireFox Shadow Wolf

Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune

You guys rock!


	10. Chapter 10

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 10**

Youko and Kuronue rushed outside to find Kagura and Kanna, in the hopes of stopping of them. They found them fighting Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango behind the inn. There was giant bamboo forest there. To the two thieves, it looked like the incarnations weren't giving their best in the fight. They could sense the power they were holding back.

Youko pulled his rose out and transformed it. He used it to take Kagura's fan away without her noticing. Kuronue flug his sickle to attack Kanna, but she blocked the attack with her mirror. The mirror used her energy to throw the attack back the bat. Kuronue skillfully dodged it.

With this distraction, Sango seized the opportunity to use her Hirakotsu. The giant weapon sailed through the hair toward the wind demoness. Kagura leaped out of the way. Her giant feather formed underneath her.

Before Kanna joined her sister, she turned to the thieves and said, "You will lose what's most precious to you for failing."

The fox demon's eyes widened in realization. Had Naraku found out about Shippo? In his anger, Youko cracked his whip. Kanna was caught by surprise, but did not show any emotion. She even almost lost grip of her mirror.

Kagura quickly scooped up Kanna before Youko had a chance to kill the albino child in anger.

Inuyasha turned to face the thieves. "What did Kanna mean by failing?"

Youko stared at Inuyasha with cold, ruthless eyes. The last time anyone saw this look was when he went after Sakura's killers for revenge. The only emotion reflected in the fox's golden eyes was anger. Pure, uncontrolled anger.

"Look, we'll take care of those weirdos. It won't be a problem for us. You guys take Shippo and get the hell outta here," said Kuronue.

"What if Naraku is here? I want to fight him," replied Inuyasha with a somewhat level head. The glare unnerved him, but he recovered.

Kuronue grabbed him by the shoulders and whispered, "Look, do what I say. Youko's really furious right now. When he gets like this, there's no telling what'll happen. I can guarantee this for sure: those demons will die."

Inuyasha thought for a moment. "Alright, we'll be at our campsite from last night. If anything goes wrong, we'll be right back here. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, don't worry," grinned Kuronue. The last thing he saw before turning his attention back to the fight was Shippo's figure growing smaller and smaller in the arms of Kagome.

Kuronue nodded at Youko. The two incarnations fled to the bamboo forest. When some of the silver fox's senses returned, he turned to his partner. "I heard from some of the servants here that the bamboo forest is filled with traps to keep thieves out."

"Good thing we're not ordinary thieves then," replied the bat demon with a smirk.

The bamboo was long and sturdy. It made travel almost impossible. Kuronue suggested that Youko use his special powers with plants to shrink all the bamboo, but the fox just replied by saying it would take too much energy to make walking convienent. They barely traveled into the forest when they saw Kagura and Kanna, waiting. Youko was out for revenge now. No one who threatened Shippo, directly or indirectly, would get away alive.

Vines wrapped around Youko's arm. Flowers blossomed. A scent wafted off them. He charged towards Kanna. But the girl was not the target. It was her mirror. Kuronue frowned. He wanted the mirror. It would prove to be an excellent asset on their side.

The plant the fox demon had chosen was an energy sapping plant, and energy was what the mirror needed to counter an attack. The bat demon gripped his sickle. As the plants extended from his arm towards Kanna, he sliced them off. And with the swift skills that only a thief posseses, he grabbed the mirror from right out of the albino child's hands.

Youko glared at his partner. "What the hell was that for?"

Kuronue returned his glare. "I won't let you destroy this mirror. It's far too valuable."

The silver fox growled. "You are a moron! Do you know that?" The two incarnations, weaponless, fled deeper into the bamboo.

"Look what you did? They got away!" yelled an infuriated Youko.

Kuronue walked up to Youko, eyes narrowed.

"Let's get this over with. We'll deal with the mirror later," said Youko in a low voice. He led the way as they searched for their enemies.

Maniacal laughter echoed in the forest. It was no mistaking who that belonged to. It was Naraku, and he was waiting for them.

Deeper and deeper they ran. It was a maze. A maze with no way out but to die. Kuronue's chest rised up and down rhythmically with each breath. His pendant bounced up and down, going in every direction. Suddenly, bamboo spears rained down behind them, narrowly missing their back sides. The bat demon looked down. His pendant was missing. That was what triggered the trap.

"Youko! Catch!" he yelled.

The silver fox turned around briefly to see the mirror flying at him. He caught it with ease. Then he saw Kuronue running back.

"What are you doing? You won't be able to dodge!" Youko yelled. The spears that fell were far too close together to be able to dodge. It was suicide, even for someone like Kuronue.

"It's my pendant!"

"Forget it! You'll die!"

Kuronue found his pendant resting on the ground. He picked it up and made a quick u-turn to get back to his partner. Youko was already running towards him when it happened. Sharp searing pain erupted from his ankle. Warm liquid spurted out. His arm inched down to pull it out. Then, more spears rained down. Kuronue was pierced everywhere. Pain enveloped him as blood began soaking his clothes.

Youko froze in terror. His partner...His BEST friend...

"KURONUE!"

"Forget about me, Kurama. Go! Run!"

* * *

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **I'm a horrible author. It's been a year and one day since I've updated this story. I feel terrible and awful. I wouldn't blame anyone if I got no reviews. (By the way, I've been planning this little scene with Kuronue since I started this fic. I know, I'm evil. But he's one of my favorite characters, so I do feel bad...)

Thank you to the following people who reviewed: GaaraSakura Luvers 4Evah, Bloodcherry, Pure Shikon, sable, NeonAlchemist, Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune, in luv with cold hearted guys, Shimoyuki, AnimeOtakuBara, S. T. Nickolian, VirginiasGirl, Dragonsdaughter1


	11. Chapter 11

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 11**

With one last look at his dead friend, Youko turned and began a sprint. Blind fury fueled him as he searched for Naraku. A pain ripped through his chest. It was the pain of losing someone so close. The only other time he felt an emotion so intense was Sakura's death. It was his fault again. Maybe if they hadn't fought before this. Now Kuronue wouldn't be there with that stupid grin of his to tell him to forget about their little spat.

The gnawing pain in his chest grew and grew as his death sunk in. His last words kept repeating in his mind. _"Forget about me, Kurama. Go! Run!" _

Kuronue called him Kurama only when he acted seriously, which was very few times in his life. He used it to grab his attention, to make the fox listen to him. He only used it for something of importance. He stopped and wacked the mirror against the bamboo. The glass fell to pieces.

Tears collected at his eyes. They flew past him as he ran. The ache in his heart did not dull. It did not falter. It did not stop, even for a second. The pain would never leave him. It would haunt him for the rest of his life. Death followed him wherever he went. It was no different when he was a child to as an adult.

"Stupid pendant...stupid mirror..stupid bat..."

* * *

"Inuyasha, where are you going?" demanded Kagome.

The dog demon's eyes did not leave the image in front of him. He stared at the inn and the bamboo. "I need to go back. Something happened," he replied.

Sango and Miroku were trying to keep Shippo busy, stopping him from feeling sadness. They didn't know what was causing it. They assumed it was his father leaving him to fight. They didn't know the real reason.

Shippo hugged his knees. He refused to cry. Not in front of everyone at least. Never would he hear his mother's comforting words. Never would he feel her warmth, nor see her smile. Everything felt dull and unimportant. The burning feeling in his chest would not stop. Trying as hard as he could, he could not keep his mind off it. The more he thought about it, the more intense the feeling came.

"My mom is dead," he mumbled incoherently. His head rested on his kness. Tears streamed down his face.

* * *

Inuyasha flew past the bamboo plants. He smelled blood. Demon blood. It was getting more intense the farther he traveled. He prayed it did not belong to Youko or Kuronue. Poor Shippo would be devastated beyong belief.

"Holy shit," murmured Inuyasha. Before him was Kuronue, speared in every direction. A pool of blood surrounded him. He gulped and stopped his breathing. The intensity of the smell burned his nostrils.

He pulled his sleave over his hands and began pulling the spears out. They dropped to the ground with a _thunk_. More blood poured out from the open wounds. Lastly, he placed his pendant around his neck. He slung the bat demon over his shoulder and ran out.

He placed him near the entrance. Several servants were busy with repairing the inn's courtyard. They noticed the corpse of the bat demon. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he yelled, "None of you touch him, you got that! He better be right here when I get back!"

With that said, he ran back inside, hoping nothing horrible had befallen Youko. Passing by the site Kuronue had died, he forced himself to keep the tears from forming. Sure, he had never met eye to eye with him, but he was a good demon. No matter what anyone thought, he was fond of the bat with his stupid little antics.

The bamboo thinned out into a clearing. Youko was fighting Naraku. Anger consumed every action, every attack, every motion that the fox did. Bloodlust and revenge was on his mind. Inuyasha pulled out his Tetsusaiga. He charged into the battle.

"You don't mind, do you?" Inuyasha asked Youko.

"Not at all," replied the fox, cracking his whip. "I hope you don't mind, but I would love to torture him for just a bit." The look in the fox's eye made Inuyasha shudder. This was a demon out for revenge. He wondered if Naraku was the cause of the bat demon's death or if he was just going to be the on the receiving end of the anger of a very anguished fox.

Youko was calm and collected, a bit too much actually. It made Inuyasha worry. It seemed unnatural. He shrugged the feeling off and turned his attention to the ongoing fight. To him, it seemed like it had been going on for quite some time. Youko had some scrapes and bruises and a large head wound. It was nothing he couldn't handle.

Inuyasha, unscathed, began swinging his sword at full force. He cut off tentacles left and right, but they grew right back. It frustrated him to no end. Naraku cackled, focusing on his target. His tentacles lunged themselves at Youko, hoping to take advantage of his previous injuries. But the fox was smarter. His rose whip cut through them very easily. Taking advantage of this moment, Inuyasha used his Wind Scar.

Naraku was hit. Bits and pieces of his body twitched on the ground. Suddenly, they began converging together and rejoined his body. The fox and dog demon jumped back as he attacked again.

"Got any bright ideas?" asked Inuyasha.

"Actually, I have quite a few," replied Youko with a smirk. Inuyasha raised his brow. "Plan A requires blood."

Now the dog demon was confused. He thought back. Had he ever seen Naraku bleed before? Had he? Most of the time it was his demon puppets, and whenever he cut off a tentacle, no blood would come out.

Inuyasha, to prove his theory, cut off another tentacle. It twitched on the ground for a bit before rejoining its master. No blood. He sprinted towards the fox's side.

"Naraku doesn't bleed," the dog demon whispered.

Youko wrinkled his noise. "There goes my vampire plant..." Inuyasha didn't even bother asking about that.

"Plan B requires you to stand completely stand. Can you do that? And stay away from us," said Youko.

Inuyasha, although hesitate, listening to Youko. A person listens to a demon with a vampire plant. He backed a bit off from the battle ground, but he was going to jump in on the first sign his plan failed.

"Naraku, I'm sorry, but this is the end for you," said Youko, smiling evilly. Oh, yes, bloodlust and revenge was his mind for sure.

* * *

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **Yay! I got another chapter out, and it didn't take months! XD To all you Kuronue fans out there, sorry, but he had to go. It took some arguing with myself to type that scene out. It had to be. Please review, and no flames please.

I would like to thank the following people for reviewing: GaaraSakura Luvers 4Evah, Link Fangirl01, S. T. Nickolian, InuJoey, neolannia, Bloodcherry, NeonAlchemist


	12. Chapter 12

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Chapter 12**

Inuyasha stood a little ways off from the battle. Although he tried not to show it, it was tearing him apart from the inside out. He should be the one fighting Naraku. He should be the one getting his revenge, not Youko. Inuyasha lost far more than he did. He lost his love Kikyo. He was sealed to a tree for 50 years. His life was ruined by the very existance of Naraku. So then, why was he just standing there?

He gripped the hilt of Tetsusaiga. Youko had promised him the finishing blow. All he had to do was stay out of it long enough to kill Naraku. He scowled. The fox had better hurry up.

* * *

Youko dodged another tentacle with ease. Naraku may be powerful, but he was very predictable. Then, the half demon stood exactly where the fox wanted him. Youko smirked evilly and raised his hand slightly.

"Time to eat. Die."

Naraku eyed him suspiciously. There was a rumbling underneath him. He looked around, startled. Five long stems the size of tree trunks shot up from the ground. Each one had a large vicious bulb with a row of jagged teeth. Saliva rained around Naraku.

"What manner of attack is this?"

"These are my lovely Ojigi plants **[1 **. Don't more or they'll eat you." The plants already locked onto Naraku as their target. He had foolishly tried attack them. "Nevermind, you moved."

Inuyasha stood as still as a statue. The plants had already chosen Naraku as their little snack. He did not want to give them any inkling of the presence of another meal in the area. Only his eyes moved, watching the scene unfold.

Naraku was feverently dodging the hungry mouths of the deadly plants. A few crashed into the ground, and the two half demons were sure they died. Too bad for Naraku that wasn't the case. Naraku lashed out against one using his tentacles. The plant shrieked as part of its stem was torn off. The other four retaliated.

Naraku was caught off guard. He looked at the approaching mouth with fear. His scream was cut short as the others latched themselves onto him. Youko chuckled.

Inuyasha growled. "I thought you said I could kill him!"

"Change of plans half breed."

Inuyasha would have retorted, but the incredibly loud shrieking cut him off. Naraku stood in the middle of the wilted plants. He brushed their remains off his clothes.

"That was a mistake," he said. "All I had to do was use my poison miasma and they died."

It was Youko's turn to growl now. "You have been on my last nerve for too long! It's time for you to face your worst nightmare!"

Suddenly, Naraku staggered back. He clutched his chest and doubled over in pain. He wheezed and gasped. His back arched and vines shot up from inside him. The encased his torso. From his shoulder, a tree trunk sprouted out, letting its roots find the ground. The tree itself has a monstrous look about it, enough to give the strongest of demons nightmares. It was a strange color. The vines that were attached to Naraku turned into suction cups that began feeding off his very soul.

"What is that?" asked Inuyasha, walking forward warily.

"My Death Tree." Youko watched, smirking. He had planted the seed when they met for the first time. The moment when he and Kuronue had put their arms around Naraku's shoulders...

The sounds of Naraku's screams echoed. He was yelling about Youko, Inuyasha, and the others that had given him grief. But mostly, he was yelling about Kikyo and the fact she never loved him.

"Feel free to kill him. He won't die otherwise," said Youko, walking away.

"What do you mean?"

"He regenerates everytime he's hurt, which means the tree won't kill him. Uusually, it feeds off fear, eventually turning the person into a husk. Not Naraku though. He will be trapped for all eternity."

Inuyasha did not need to hear anymore. He raised his sword and let it fall. "Wind Scar!" he yelled. With that, he unleashed the fury and revenge everyone held against the evil half demon.

A pink light shot up into the heavens. The Shikon Jewel was shattered once more.

"Inuyasha, please take care of Shippo a little longer. I want to give my friend a proper burial," said Youko mournfully.

"No problem. You helped us out a lot." Inuyasha extended his hand out to the fox. Youko looked at it for a moment and shook it. He even smiled.

The two friends departed.

* * *

After Naraku's demise, it was as if the earth was recleansing itself. It rained terribly hard and the winds only made it worse. Days passed by like this, but Youko did not stop his journey. It was a full week before he reached his destination. He spent nights just watching the sleeping figure of his friend, not being able to cope over his death. Any second it seemed like he would wake up.

Youko reached a thundering waterfall. The rain was still pouring from the heavens. Thunder and lightening were a new addition. He walked forward with his friend slung limply over his shoulder. Demon corpses did not undergo rigor mortis, the stiffening of joints after death, or decomposition until a month has passed from their death. This gave ample time for their demonic energy to leave their body.

The silver fox waded through the strong currents of the water until he reached the waterfall. It was a good thing he was already wet. It was a little difficult going through the waterfall, but he did it. He entered a dark and eerie cove. He laid Kuronue onto the floor and walked deeper into the secret room. His special light plants lined the floor of the cove, creating a trail.

He stopped at a spot where the ground was covered with vines. Blood red flowers bloomed on top. He knelt down in front of it. His hands traced over the plant.

"I found our son, Sakura. He's the same from when we left him. He's a fine young kit," said Youko. He stood up. "You won't be alone anymore. Kuronue is here to keep you company until I can join you both."

He dug his hands into the moist dirt next to the grave of his love. He couldn't believe he was back to dig yet another grave for his best friend. Hours passed and he finally laid his friend out in the ground. He murmured his last words and buried him. Like Sakura's grave, a mess of vines shot up and covered it. Instead of red flowers though, blue violet flowers bloomed, filling the cove with a sweet aroma.

Youko positioned himself in the middle of the two graves. He rested his head against the stony wall and his eyes closed.

* * *

Almost a week had passed since Naraku's demise and Miroku still stared in wonder at his right palm. His Wind Tunnel. It was gone. It was truly gone. Naraku was dead. He, Sango, and Kagome wept together. Although, he ruined the moment with his lecherous ways, which resulted in a resounding slap from the demon slayer. Then, they did the most unexpecting thing: they kissed.

"You remember the promise," said Miroku, smiling.

"Of course. I'll marry you," replied Sango.

Kagome shrieked in delight. "A wedding! I can't wait. You two will be so happy." Then her smiled disappeared. "Well, I hope you two have a wonderful life together. Inuyasha and I still have the shards to look for." She glared at the half breed. "Who's fault is it now?"

Inuyasha raised his hands up defensively. "There was no other way. I told you the jewel was buried in that tree thing. I had to destroy it to get it out."

"Inuyasha," said Shippo, cutting off Kagome's 'sit.' (The dog demon breathed a sigh of relief. The little kit came in handy sometimes.) "When is my dad coming back?"

"Well," he began nervously, "he said he needed to take care of a few things."

"Like?"

"Oh, I don't know! I can't read his mind!" huffed Inuyasha. The little kit looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"Sit," said Kagome.

Inuyasha slammed into the ground. This time he didn't yell or curse. The shattered jewel meant that Kagome had a reason to stay with him for much longer. He smiled into the dirt.

"Kagome," said Sango, "if you don't mind, Miroku and I would like to stay with you and Inuyasha to aid in the search of the shards."

Kagome blinked. "I can't ask that of you. Your lives are just getting started."

"It's no trouble at all Lady Kagome. You are our friend. We want to help you," said Miroku.

Kagome smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

Youko rubbed the crick in his neck from sleeping in that uncomfortable position. He looked one last time at his eternally sleeping companions and left the cove. The rain had stopped and the sun was shining. The sky was clear of all clouds. It was a beautiful day.

He thought he would have an uninterrupted journey back to his son, but he was wrong. He saw the priestess Kikyo waiting for him.

"What do you want?" he asked rudely.

"News of Naraku's death has spread quite quickly. To show my gratitude, and to keep my end of the bargain, I have come to present you a jewel shard. There has been an abundance of them lately."

Youko looked at it warily. He hesitantly extended his hand. "I have no use for it." He let his hand drop to his side.

"Oh, but I'm sure your new friends would like it," replied Kikyo.

Youko scowled. The undead woman was right. He grabbed the shard and pocketed it. He walked away, but then yelled, "Thanks."

Kikyo nodded her head.. She waved good bye as the wind carried her higher and higher into the sky. She can finally rest in peace.

Youko was fiddling with the shard between his two fingers as he walked endlessly through the forest. The pinkish glow was full of untainted energy. It was too tempting for him to use it, but he really had no use for it. A rustle in the trees alerted him to the presence of another. He quickly hid the shard and pulled out a rose from behind his neck.

"I'm free thanks to you and that bat." The origin of the voice was standing behind him. It was Kagura. She stepped forward, placing a feather back into her hair. "Where is he?"

"You don't know?" asked Youko, surprised.

She narrowed her eyes, shaking her head.

"He's dead."

Youko watched her carefully. Kagura gulped and looked down. She tore a leaf apart and let the pieces fall to the ground. She sniffled. She looked up again and faced the silver fox with a blank face. "Pity, he grew on me." She quickly wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

Kagura took her feather out and transformed it. She jumped onto it.

"Wait, where's that sister of yours?" asked Youko.

Kagura shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows." She flew higher and higher into the sky. Youko did not leave until she completely disappeared.

* * *

It was now two weeks since the jewel was shattered once more. Inuyasha and the others were resting at Kaede's village before continuing their journey. It was also because they were waiting for Youko Kurama to come back. Shippo kept a vigil each and every day, looking for his silver father.

Kagome had traveled out of the village, looking for medicinal herbs. She growled in frustration as she pulled out another worthless plant. "I don't understand why Kaede always sends me." She threw the plant to the ground angrily.

"Hey, plants have feelings too."

Kagome looked up. Youko was back. She stood up, wiping her knees. She placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "About time. Shippo is worried sick about you."

"Sorry, I had some business to take care of."

"Right, I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean much, but-"

"No, it means a lot. So, where is the little monster?" He grinned playfully.

Kagome pointed toward the village. Youko stopped in front of her. He grabbed her hand placed a shard onto her palm. Kagome looked at it, smiling. This was the first time a demon willingly gave her a shard.

Youko found Shippo outside Kaede's hut. The kit ran toward him and jumped into his arms. Inuyasha and the others were around, but they remained in the hut to give the father and son some privacy. Youko carried Shippo into the forest for privacy.

"Kuronue is..." began Youko.

"I know. I could tell by the way Inuyasha came back," replied Shippo, tearfully.

The silver fox sighed. Telling Shippo would make it seem official.

"Shippo, I'm giving you a choice. Do you want to stay with me or Kagome?" asked Youko, gazing at his son solemnly.

"Wha-"

"No, let me finished," said Youko. "I can't promise you a completely safe environment since I'm constantly chased by bounty hunters. And I know that Kagome has become some sort of mother figure for you, and you need a mother."

"Dad, give me some time to think about it."

Youko nodded. "I'll come back tomorrow at the same time."

Tomorrow came by quickly for the two foxes. Shippo met his father in the same spot. "Dad, I thought about it, and I'm ready to give you my answer."

* * *

**[1 - **The wonderful man eating plants that Youko used against Karasu in the Dark Tournament.

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **That my dear readers, was the second to the last chapter. I feel so sad now. Oh, and use your imaginations for Shippo's answer. I don't think the epilogue, which will hopefully come soon, will give much hints to his answer. Thank you NeonAlchemist, Link Fangirl01, uniqu3s0u7, Pure Shikon, Bloodcherry for reviewing.

Please review, and no flames please!


	13. Epilogue

**A Fox's Heritage**

**Epilogue**

_Almost 500 years have passed since the defeat of Naraku and the second shattering of the Shikon Jewel. The completion of the jewel took much longer than anyone expected. Kagome 'tricked' Kouga into handing over his two shards, but the matter of Kohaku was much more difficult. After Naraku's spell was broken, Kohaku remembered everything. He griefed the loss of his family and village members for over a year while staying away from Sango. When he did come back, he looked into his sister's eyes and whispered words of brotherly love. Then, he took out his jewel shard. That was the final piece to the jewel._

_Inuyasha did not become a full demon like he wished to be. Instead, the jewel was burned with Kohaku's remains and he, along with the jewel, were buried on sacred ground meant for priestesses. Sango and Miroku lived to the ripe old age of 89 and 90 respectively. They had several children, many of whom have descendants still living in the 21st century. _

_Kagome made freqeunt visits to the feudal era. It was her second home. But shortly after the jewel's completion, the well sealed itself up and she was trapped in her own time. After the deaths of the demon slayer and monk, Inuyasha was never heard from again. Some say he is wandering Demon World endlessly, waiting for the moment Kagome was sealed away, which brings up another topic. Around this time, King Enma, the ruler of Spirit World established the barriers in between the different worlds. There was a mass movement of demons into Demon World. Years passed, and the humans forgot about demons. The stories become myths and legends. The Shikon Jewel was never talked about again._  
**- - - **

"Wow! Tell us again!" yelled a small fox kit. A small groupd of fox children were gathered around an older male fox. It was the time for the weekly story telling. This morning held the conclusion of the fabled story of the Shikon Jewel.

"No, no, you've heard far too many times already. Besides, my throat needs a rest," protested a familiar brown fox, waving his hands defensively. He had grown very handsome over the years. His pointed ears had turned into fox ears with a black tip. His hair had straightened out considerably, but it still contained a bit of a wave. His hair also contained a silver sheen. He had grown it out until it reached his waist. His turquise eyes shone more brightly than as a child. He had very sharp and elegant features that gave him a deadly, yet handsome look. His short, puffy tail grew out and was long and silky. He looked just like his father.

"My, my, Shippo, you've become quite the storyteller," said a feminine voice from the shadows.

"It's all I have left," replied Shippo, "just memories to be passed onto the younger generation." The soft look he used while speaking to the children turned cold, which was a sign for them to leave his house immediately.

A few murmured good byes and the pattering of feet disappeared. Shippo turned to his guest with one brow raised.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure, Kagura?"

Kagura looked around the room with obvious disdain on her face. Her fan covered her mouth as her eyes narrowed, searching for any spies. Kagura looked the same as she did 500 years ago. Only her hair and clothes were different. She left her long hair cascade down until it reached her midback. A few feathers were tucked in behind her ears. She wore a dress that was kimono like, but was lighter and easier to move in.

"There have been rumors..."

"Oh, you know that rumors are never true," snorted Shippo.

"No, you don't understand." Kagura paused. She sighed. "'Rumor' is probably not the right word since its origin came from a Spirit World official."

"Really? You've caught my attention." Shippo gestured for the wind demoness to seat herself at the table. He poured two glasses of whiskey and gave one to her. Kagura grasped it with a shaking hand.

"I'm sorry, Shippo. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I would never forgive myself if you heard from someone other than myself," said Kagura. Over the centuries, she had become a very close friend of Shippo and Youko.

She took a sip. The warm liquid burned as it made its way to her stomach. It relieved her pain somewhat. She looked into Shippo's eyes and suddenly turned her gaze away. She stared at the swirling liquid. Her finger traced the rim of the glass as a way to stall.

"Kagura, get on it with it. I don't have all day," said Shippo, rubbing his temples.

Kagura took a sharp intake of breatha and spoke. "Youko Kurama died last night."

Shippo stared at her with unblinking eyes. He pulled back the entire glass of alcohol and gasped for breath. "You lie." His eyes twinkled with unshed tears that glared at the demoness. He pounded his fist against the table. The two glasses and the bottle jumped into the air.

Kagura shook her head. "He was caught by..."

"NO! STOP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE! LIES"

"...a Spirit World bounty hunter..."

"NO! This is a trick. It's just another trick. He'll walk through that door with that stupid grin on his face. We'll yell at him and he'll laugh it off."

Kagura shook her head. Then, she did something very unlike her. She cried. The tears fell silently against her cheek.

"...he was tricked and killed," the demoness finished.

Shippo stood up abruptly. His chair toppled over. He glared at the door. Suddenly, it burst into flames. Kagura jumped up and shook him from the shoulders. The fire died down. He embraced Kagura and buried his face into her air. He cried. Time passed by slowly for the two. It was no telling when they would get over the death of another friend.

* * *

Human World was very quiet. A lone woman was walking in the park. She had long, ebony colored hair and her lips were the color of rubies. She smiled to herself and touched her flat stomach lightly. A child was beginning to take form inside of her. What she didn't know was that child was going to be very special. 

A silver orb floated above her head. The call of the soulless fetus was too much for this wandering soul to bare. It circled her a few times and it flew at her. It hit her stomach and remained there. She wasn't the wiser.

Youko Kurama will live again.

* * *

**CrazyDreamerGirl: **And that my dear friends, was the end. I feel so sad now. To clarify a few things, this is **NOT** a Shippo and Kagura pairing. They are merely **friends**. If anything, Kagura loved Kuronue and that's why she hung around Youko and Shippo for the past few centuries. Oh, Shippo's answer is very subtely mentioned in the epilogue. There will be no sequel as far as now. 

Thank you Sarenity digo17, NeonAlchemist, Pure Shikon, and Kuyeng13 for reviewing the last chapter. And thank you any reviewers and readers for this chapter. I'm glad you guys stuck with this story for so long. Thank you once again.


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